The Warburg Effect and its Role in Tumorigenesis

The second leading cause of death in the United States, cancer is the rapid proliferation of abnormal cells that grow and spread beyond their usual boundaries in the body. A significant part of cancer research has focused on elucidating the nature of tumourigenic cells to determine viable treatment therapies and prevention methods for cancer development and metastasis. One of the major hallmarks of cancer is tumor cell glycometabolism, where cancer cells rewire their metabolism to promote their growth, survival, maintenance, and proliferation. This aberrant metabolism is characterized by increased glycolysis even in the presence of oxygen, a phenomenon known as the ‘Warburg Effect’. Several prominent characteristics of the Warburg Effect have been observed over the last century, including increased glucose uptake, lactate accumulation, and induced acidosis in the tumor microenvironment. This review examines the Warburg Effect, its role in tumorigenesis, and current anticancer therapeutics that have arisen from related studies.